Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-03-25


entity he stopped short, and uttering gut
tural exclamation, pointed to the earth.
.'What is itg' we exclaimed; and simulta-
reously rose and went to where he was
standing pointing at the ground.
Well" said /, lit is pretty fresh spring
box spoor; what of it?'
"Springbucks do not go far from water"
he answered in Dutch.
NO" answered, Il forgot; and thank
God for it"
This little discovery put new life into US;
it is wonderful how, when one Is in a deS-
perate position, one catches at the slightest
hope, and feels almost happy IN It. On
dark night single star is better than moth
ing.
Meanwhile Ventvogel was lifting his snub
nose, and smiling the hot air for all the
world like an old Impala ram who scents
danger. Presently he spoke again.
II smell water" he said.
Then we felt quite jubilant, for we knew
what wonderful instinct these wild-bred
men possess.
Just at that moment the sun came up glo-
riously, and revealed so grand a sight TO our
astOnished eyes that for moment or two we
even forgot our thirst
For there not more than forty IT fifty
miles from us, glittering like silver in the
early rays of the morning sun, were Sheba's
breasts; and stretching away for hundreds
of miles on each side Of them was the great
SULLIVAN Berg. Now that 1, sitting here, at
tempt to describe the extraordinary grandeur
and beauty of that sight, language seems to
fail me. ! am impOtent even before its
memory. There straight before us, were
two enormous mountains, the like OF which
are not / believe, to be seen in Africa, If,
indeed, there are any other such IN the
world, measuring each at least fifteen thou
sand feet in height, standing not more than
a dozen miles apart, connected by precipl-
t0us cliff of rock, and towering up N awful
white sOlcmnity straight into the sky. These
mountains standing thus, like the pillars of
a gigantic gateway are shaped exactly like
n w0man's breasts. Their bases swelled
gently up from the plain, looking, at that
distance perfectly round and smooth; and
on the top of each was a vast round hlllOck
covered with snow. exactly corresponding to
the nipple ON tho female breast The stretch
OF cl,n which connected them appeared to be
some thousand feet in height, and perfectly
prCcipitOUS and Oh each side of them, as far
as the Cyr CoU.d reach, extended similar
lines OF elm, broken only here and there by
fiat table-topped mountains, something like
the world-famed one at Cape Town; n for
nation, b. the way, very common in Africa.
To describe the grandeur of the whole
view is beyond my powers. There was
something 50 ineXpressiDly solemn and over
pOwerng about those huge yolcauOcS-that
it fairly took our breath away. For awhile
the morning lights played upon the snoT
and the brown and swelling MISSES beneath,
and then, as though to veil the majestic
sight from our curious eyes, strange mists
and clouds gathered and increased around
them, till presently we could only trace their
pure and gigantic outline swelling ghost-like
through the flcccy envelope. Indeed, as we
attcrward discovered they were normally
wrapped in this curious gauZy mist, which
doubtless accounted for one not having
made them out more clearly before.
Scarcely had the mountains vanished into
clOud-clad privacy before our thirst-literally
a burning queStiOn-TeaSSetc itself
1t was all very well for NentyOgel to say
he smellcd water, but look which way we
would We could see no signs OF ii. So far as
the eve could reach there was nothing but
arid sw0ltcring sand and karoo scrub. We
walked round the hillOCk and gaZed about
anXiOuSly on the other side but it was the
same story, not a drop of water was to be
seen; there was no indication of a pan, a
pool, or a spring.
You are a fool" | said, angriIy, to Vent
vogcl; there is no water"
But still he lifted his ugly snub nose and
shifted.
81 smell 1t, Baas' master), lie answered;
lit is somewhere in the air"
Yes" | said, mo doubt it is in the
clouds, and about two months hence it will
fall and wash our bones"
Sir Henry stroked his yellow beard
thOughtfully. Perhaps it is OH the top OF
the hill,' he suggested.
Rot" said Good; whoever heard of wa
ter being found on the top of a hill!'
let us 90 and look" | put in, and hope
lessly enough we scrambled up the sandy
sides of the hlIock, Umbopa leading. Pre-
senty he stopped as though he was petritied.
Manila manlie" there is water), lie
cried with a loud voice.
We rushed up to him, and there. sure
enough, in deep cup or indention on the
very top of the sand kOppie was an I'M
doubted pool of water. How it came to be
in such a strange place we did not stop to
inquire, nor did we hesitate at its black and
,,,,,I ir,it,,jnr ,,, 49, ~. q
~ W. rn,. I,,,,,,,I , u w
H. si ,,,,,, ~ -, 80 80 u, 'ii
sucking up the inviting fluid as though it
We're nectar tit for the gods. Heavens, how
we did drink! Then when we had done
drinking we tore of our clothes and sat down
,' ~ ,r'i,7 w. ','lo '"'ouSn o"l
i,,I,. ., - " nv nov =
,,r,., ami ..,,l,,,, ,r,,,, "i','
b,,ir,r I,,, ,,,,,., i;t,,, w. ,'. '"'''
,t,t .i,,.. - " ,"t vi
O','1',',',' - paw "'''oi
' , 'I , ,,i, 'o9o ',1il II, lc,itseu IN
W., h., -, Vi winch
r,I r' -, r.,. - ,'Die " .o",'' ''o".m
Mn, w., s,,,-,,i ,t,'' '''',, ''J va. mr.
Ir,t ,,,,,,T i',y ,i "
I,,,,,j,,,sl,.,,I, ,I,, t,,,t ,i ~,
u,id,In, O'N' "''' '''P' '''
~ ''''s wv -" "''t' ny '''c water
,''','"'''- wa ~ US '','' We '"" 'F'" lucky
.'u"'' ~ ''''" It, ga" IL II WAS, "h" NOT lot
H,''','- w ''' " ""c N"'it vt Etalltude 10
'''0 '.'''''' va '"c '""7 -"'Pd''cu Ia SIINesua
VINO mad corked 1t down so accurately on the
tail OF his SHIRT The wonderful thing to us
was that 1t should have lasted SO long, and
thc only way that can account for 1t is by
the supposItlon that 1t Is fed by some spring
uccp down III the sand.
Having hIled both ourselves and our water
uo'ueS AS ioII rs possible, IN lar better spur
It's we started OH again with the moon. That
night we covered nearly hve-and-twenty
miles, put' needless 10 say, found no more
wafer though we We're lucky enough on the
following uaN Ia yet little Shalp behind